Zelenskyy dismisses Ukraine army chief following protests

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to fire top army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, trying to bring the country’s former defense minister back into government just days after dismissing him.

The change comes after almost a week of unrest across the country and represents one of the biggest political crises since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Zelenskyy in a late-night television speech in question On Tuesday, he said he had appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and thanked the outgoing Syrskyi for the key role he played in the defense of Kiev early in the war.

“Operations of the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue and must continue without interruption. Ukraine’s long-term sanctions plan and our medium strike program will be carried out with absolute precision,” Zelenskyy said, according to the translation. he said.

Drapatyi thanked Zelenskyy and paid tribute to Syrskyi for his work to strengthen the country’s armed forces. “I will work responsibly, with focus and with respect for the people defending our state today,” Drapatyi said in a statement on Facebook. to post.

The Ukrainian president also said he had a meeting with former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who offered him “a valuable leadership position that will allow our country to bring together its technological capabilities and ensure its continuous development.”

Fedorov, seen as a popular figure and advocate of Ukraine’s drone war, was dismissed last week in a surprise move that triggered protests in several Ukrainian cities.

Those protests reached their fifth consecutive day on Monday, with demonstrators carrying banners and waving flags as part of a push for Zelenskyy to reinstate Fedorov and fire Syrskyi.

In a post on social media, Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi on his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army.

Fedorov said, “This is a new breath and a new source of hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice. It is the voice of change that can no longer be ignored.” in question through X.

Ukraine, which has increased its drone production and capabilities over four years of war, has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and military assets, targeting high-profile oil refineries in major cities as part of a sustained push to increase the economic cost of the conflict in Russia and weaken Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Defense experts and strategists have called Ukraine’s drone campaign crucial to helping halt Russia’s military momentum, while also warning that Kiev’s deep strike successes greatly increase the risk of escalation.